Godley dog pack rounded up after concern from community

Godley dog pack safely captured

A roaming pack of dogs in a North Texas town has been rounded up by an animal rescue group with the help of a nearby animal control.

GODLEY, Texas - A roaming pack of dogs in a North Texas town has been rounded up by an animal rescue group with the help of a nearby animal control. 

Godley dogs captured

The latest:

Animal rescue volunteer Dory Cox says 22 dogs have been captured of the roaming group of canines causing commotion in the Johnson County town of Godley.

Cox is with the group Texas All Creatures Rescue, which stepped in just as county leaders took action against the group of strays.

She says they tracked the dogs to an old vacant property. They were all living beneath the house and a nearby pond was their source of water.

Over the course of three weeks, they managed to corral and trap 13 adult dogs and nine puppies.

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What they're saying:

"I hear the dogs were being a nuisance by getting in everyone’s trash. They were hungry," Cox said.

So, the group got to work.

"We went out there every day and fed them and, sure enough, that kept them on the property. As we were doing that, they got to know us even better. Some that were less socialized started coming up to us more. When we finally figured out a place for them to go, we set up the trap," Cox said. 

As video of the pack continued to circulate, county commissioners approved a partnership with Fort Worth animal control to capture the dogs due to community concerns.

Cox says the dogs have been wrongly portrayed by the media as aggressive; a rumor she thinks was started when a community member claimed the pack chased a child. 

"That, coupled with the fact that Fort Worth Animal Control is euthanizing for space, we knew it wouldn’t be good even if they gave these dogs a chance. Other dogs would be euthanized to make room for them," Cox said.

Cox and her fellow rescue group volunteers insist the dogs were not wild. Rather, they simply wound up in a situation fending for themselves. 

"We knew the dogs were friendly, we’d been out there and assessed them. We just wanted to give them a chance," said Cox.

Johnson County animal response plan

Dig deeper:

Johnson County Commissioner Rick Bailey said in an earlier meeting that while these dogs may not be as dangerous as some claim, plans still need to be made for the future. 

"We just need some sort of agreement going forward when we do have aggressive animals," said Bailey. "We’ve got to find a solution when that comes about. We've got to have a resource we can call upon."

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County leaders create response plan after concern over Godley dog pack

One Johnson County commissioner said that while these dogs may not be as dangerous as some claim, plans still need to be made for the future.

The county, after considering the information, decided to move forward with a short-term partnership with Fort Worth's animal services department. They agreed to one month’s assistance at a cost of $6,000. 

Meanwhile, reaction from community members is mixed.  

"Morally is also helpful. The best way to do it. If you can take ‘em, treat ‘em and get ‘em to a good home, that’d be the best way, but there definitely needs to be something done," said resident Evan King.

The volunteer group believes it simply needs more time to corral the remaining dogs in this particular pack.